Having an artist spirit, I just want everything to be beautiful. I want to experience the world and all its magic with eyes that are filled with excitement and a heart open to adventure. I believe each of us can live our most creative life.

Throughout my life, I have felt compelled to share creativity with others. Expressing myself creatively has been something I've been doing since I was a kid. As I grow, I find myself needing to create in some way daily and I want to let others know they can find so much happiness honoring all forms of a creative life. Through art, travel, relationships, stories and all the other ways that I am inspired, I mindfully celebrate and intentionally see these blessings of beauty in my life. It is my hope that if you join me on this journey, you will also be inspired to see all the gorgeous elements around you.

Things of beauty are everywhere — whether you create them yourself or admire what someone else has created — whatever it is that you find beautiful, it is worthy of your time and attention. We should find joy in lovely people, places and experiences. We should allow ourselves to be transported in a great book, a delicious meal, genuine laughter of a dear friend and the way your favorite sweater feels. We should take the time to notice what it is that makes a smile dance across our face and what causes our eyes to sparkle a little brighter. These things that you find beautiful make up a part of who you are. They are those interesting insights into your authentic self and they are some of the individual traits that teach us more about one another.

In this new season of my life, I am excited to dedicate my time to living creatively and cultivating beautiful things. I want to encourage you to freely create from your heart with no rules or judgment — just play! Play with art supplies, take photographs, sew, cook, journal, garden — do any and all of these things because it makes you happy and surrounds your day with something beautiful that couldn't have come from anyone else. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece and it doesn't have to be for anyone else to enjoy but you.

In the times you aren't able or comfortable to create your own artistic expression, exercise your ability to admire beautiful work by other artists you admire. I find myself constantly inspired by so many other people. I collect their artwork, cut out photos, and keep a book of quotes just to surround myself with things that I find beautiful because for no other reason then it brings me great joy to look through them. One of the journals I keep is just a collection of things I find beautiful and the majority of the items in there are not my own work. Remember that there is enough sunlight for all of us — celebrate others who are doing things you love.

And in the times that you yourself don't feel creative and you aren't finding inspiration with other artistic people, I believe it is important to remind yourself of the treasures that already exist around each one of us. In our daily lives we can start to overlook the most beautiful parts. Remind yourself to step back and see your everyday life with fresh eyes. The people closest to you, the way your dog welcomes you home, the wall of colorful paint chips that you walk by in the home improvement store — take a second to pause, breathe in and realize that there are amazing and beautiful things all around you, we just have to notice.

For some, this may all seem too flowery and sentimental. I get that. There are real problems and terrible tragedies that affect us all as humans. But because of that, I believe we need to celebrate what is beautiful even more. I don't want to reside in that negative space. I am not naive to it, but I will also not allow it to take control. We need artists to paint and write songs and choreograph dances. We need brave souls to step out from the shadows and share themselves with the world. We need more people willing to encourage each other and honor the gifts that reside inside them. We need to feel that our joys are not trivial and meaningless because they aren't. They are a part of the shared experiences we are called to have with one another.

So I am going to paint. I am going to draw and journal and photograph and travel and love on my dogs. I am going to celebrate my marriage to my best friend and I am going try to always remember what my nieces' and nephews' laughter sounds like. I am going to create something everyday - physically, spiritually or emotionally. I am going to choose to cultivate a beautiful life through creativity.